Making Concentration more useful

[randomling]

I've been thinking about Concentration recently. I think it could be useful to more people than just spellcasters.

Seriously: it's class skill for monks, who (presumably) meditate daily to focus their minds. So why should it only be useful for spellcasters? What about other uses for Concentration, what would they be?

Quintessential Monk has some interesting ideas on this, but I had some other thoughts to. What about the rogue trying to speedily pick a lock as goblin archers fire on his friends from above -- wouldn't that tax your concentration? I'm sure there must be other situations in which it would come in useful. How about using it to be able to take 10 in a threatened situation? The mountain is crumbling beneath you, but concentrating hard allows you to tune out the panic and focus on climbing.

What do people think about this?

 

[hong]

From somewhere on my D&D page:


STRENGTH OF WILL

You can form a last-ditch defense against mental attacks.

Prerequisites: 4th level, Iron Will, Still Mind, Concentration skill, Con 13+, Wis 13+.

Benefit: If you fail a Will saving throw, you can make an immediate Concentration skill check against the same DC. Any luck, insight and competence bonuses that applied to the save also apply to the skill check, subject to the normal stacking rules. If the check is successful, you are treated as if you had made your save. This feat may be used a number of times per day equal to your level divided by 4.

 

[Crothian]

Quintessential Monk has some interesting ideas on this, but I had some other thoughts to. What about the rogue trying to speedily pick a lock as goblin archers fire on his friends from above -- wouldn't that tax your concentration? I'm sure there must be other situations in which it would come in useful. How about using it to be able to take 10 in a threatened situation? The mountain is crumbling beneath you, but concentrating hard allows you to tune out the panic and focus on climbing.

What do people think about this?

I like it to be able to take 10 in certain instances. I think Quint Monk did a fine job of giving monks a reason to use it as well.

 

[randomling]

Hong -- may I use that feat in my campaign? Definitely makes Concentration a useful skill to have: for anyone. And I think that it should be... everyone needs to know how to concentrate!

So you can make a Concentration check to redo a failed Will save (cool!), do all these funky martials arts things from Quint Monk, and concentrate on a task in a threatened situation... maybe to either be able to take 10 or get a +2 circumstance bonus?

I think I need to write this up.

 

[hong]

Hong -- may I use that feat in my campaign? Definitely makes Concentration a useful skill to have: for anyone. And I think that it should be... everyone needs to know how to concentrate!

Go right ahead. There's more of this sort of stuff here:

http://www.zipworld.com.au/~hong/dnd/martialartist.htm
http://www.zipworld.com.au/~hong/dnd/ma_feats.htm

 

[randomling]

Thanks Hong -- I'll check the links when I have a moment (right now it's 1am and I'm supposed to be packing!).

To illustrate my "Concentration check to take 10" idea: I just watched FotR, and the part in Moria where they're jumping over the gap in the bridge is perfect I think.

OK, you're being a chased by a vast fire demon when you come to a gap in a bridge. After almost falling off, you manage to collect yourself enough to leap the gap. Suddenly, orcs begin firing arrows at you. Make your Jump check.

With the action going on around you, I'd normally rule a -4 circumstance penalty, and for sure no taking 10 while you're on the run and being shot at. But a successful Concentration check (DC of at least 20, mind) would allow you to negate the penalty and take 10, should you so desire, effectively making the jump as though nothing untoward was happening.

Now this is something a mid-level monk should be able to do, in my opinion. Ki is, among other things, an ability to focus inward, to tune out the outside world and find strength and peace even in the most terrifying of circumstances.

What do you think?

 

[Hashmalum]

I really like the idea of using a Concentration check to take 10 on a skill check in a stressful situation. It shouldn't cause any balance problems, considering that spellcasters aren't skill-oriented characters to begin with. The only (minor) problem I have with it is that it makes the rogue's Skill Mastery special ability a bit less special--but the rogue with Skill Mastery won't need to make an extra check, so Skill Mastery is still better in most cases. Now we just need some concrete rules for the DC of the Concentration check.

 

[randomling]

Personally, I'm thinking of going with a base DC of 20, plus the circumstance penalty for the situation.

So say you're trying to take 10 on jumping that gap, with a Balrog behind you, orc archers firing from bpth sides, and a crumbling bridge. I'd give that at least a -6: so, a Concentration check of DC 26 allows you to take 10 and negate the penalty.

Does that sound too high? Too low? Maybe the base DC should be 25 or higher...